4 Lesser-Known Halloween Safety Tips

Kids (as well as adults and even pets) in costume aren’t the real frights this Halloween. Those belong to realities like the ones on the list below.

In addition to keeping general trick-or-treat safety tips in mind, don’t forget some of the lesser-known Halloween safety tips. They include:

Watching out for traffic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for young pedestrians. Keep your kiddos safe by having them stay close to you, attaching reflective tape on their costumes and only crossing at designated cross walks.

Driving defensively. Things are also more dangerous for drivers as well as for pedestrians— especially when Halloween falls on a weekend like it does this year. Drunk driving is more prevalent on the weekends and on holidays, making this year a double whammy. This Halloween, don’t forget to buckle up, slow down and drive defensively.

Remembering your furry friends. Many people forget to bring their pets inside or to properly contain them on Halloween night. That can lead to your pets getting spooked or running away. Another hazard is Halloween candy—chocolate and artificial sweeteners can be fatal to animals. For their sake, make sure they’re safe indoors and that all candy is stashed away somewhere they can’t access.

Possibly making glow sticks a no-go. Poison control centers see a surge in calls on Halloween. And many of those calls are about glow stick poisoning. The liquid in glow sticks can cause irritation and vomiting, so make sure to tell your kids to keep them away from their mouths. And when it comes to especially young kids, you might want to pass on glow sticks all together.

By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll, keep the frights inside the haunted house and outside of real life this Halloween. And if you’re still worried about seeing a real ghost, you’ll be glad to know that it’s possible to get ghost insurance.